Taylor Swift’s iconic Eras Tour may be over, but a new tribute band is aiming to bring that energy to Arlington with a setlist that Swifties can enjoy all too well.
The Fearless Eras is performing at 9:30 p.m. this Saturday at The Renegade in Clarendon (3100 Clarendon Blvd). The D.C.-area group’s three-hour setlist includes about 40 songs spanning the superstar’s 18-year career, from mainstream hits to deep cuts.
“We’re going to be playing some hits, fan faves, some very, like, ‘From The Vault’ kind of [songs], if we can call it that,” band member Enzo Ferroggiaro told ARLnow.
Are you ready for it?
The band of self-described “devout Swifties” features Ferroggiaro on drums, vocalists Amanda Cepero and Virginia “Ginny” Hill, bassist Derek Evry, guitarists Kevin Engle and Addison Smith, and Mitch Weissman on guitar and keyboard.
Though no two shows are exactly the same, their set includes many of Swift’s greatest pop hits like “Love Story,” “22” and “Blank Space.” Cepero and Hill alternate songs and sing duets like “Florida!!!”
Certain arrangements also pay homage to Swift’s past live performances, including those on The Eras Tour and “Saturday Night Live.”
“We know that Swifties, you know, are diehards,” Weissman said. “We want to be as faithful to her music and giving folks what they want to hear, but in a live band setting.”
The musicians felt inspired to start the band — named after Swift’s decorated sophomore album, “Fearless” — after the pop star skipped the D.C. market on her Eras Tour.
“We wanted to put on a show, because we’ve seen venues … put on Taylor Swift DJ nights, where Swifties would come out get dressed up in their different eras,” Weissman said. “We’re like, DJs are fun, but let’s do this thing live.”
The musicians came together through past connections in the D.C. music scene. Weissman, who is engaged to Cepero, knew Ferroggiaro through performing in the cover band Hot Cactus. More band members joined from there.
“I think the way we formed is very indicative of how the D.C. music scene works, and the networking and the camaraderie that we have in the city,” Hill said.
The Fearless Eras debuted last year on Swift’s birthday, Dec. 13, at Public Bar Live in D.C., where they tossed friendship bracelets to the crowd.
“It was just so great to see the audience’s responsiveness and it, I think, gave us what we needed to realize that this is a great concept,” Hill said. “People are going to come out. People love it.”
The Renegade plans to charge $10 at the door this Saturday, and the performance is restricted to patrons age 21 and over.
Following this weekend, The Fearless Eras will perform an all-ages show in June at The Songbyrd Music House in D.C.
They are enchanted to meet more fans.
